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US3790241A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Modular furniture structure

Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1972-07-20
•
Granted: 1974-02-05
•
Expires: 1992-07-20
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Abstract

Abstract A modular furniture structure comprising a plurality of furniture modules, each module having a pair of square sidewalls connected at a point offset from their mid-section by a transverse wall member to form a cubic envelope having an Hshaped cross section. The furniture modules may be stacked one upon the other with the edges of the sidewalls of one furniture module being adapted to support the edges of the module thereabove with a selected number of the modules being disposed at different orientations with respect to adjacent furniture modules to define different shelf depth and shelving configurations with at least one horizontally disposed transverse shelf member being carried between a pair of horizontally spaced furniture modules. The furniture modules may be so arranged as to have their sidewalls interlocking in a selected manner with the upper edges of the sidewalls supporting a horizontally disposed member to form a table, desk or the like.

Inventors

  • 👤 J Messina

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-11-01 17:06
CPC Classifications
F; F16; F16B; F16B12/00; F16B12/10; F16B12/12; F16B12/24; A; A47; A47B; A47B87/00; A47B87/02; A47B87/0207; A47B87/0253; A47B2220/00; A47B2220/02; A47B2230/00; A47B2230/0029; A47B2230/0037

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim 157 words
A furniture module comprising: first and second opposed sidewalls, said first sidewall having the same length, width and thickness respectively as said second sidewall, the length and width of said sidewalls being equal to form square sidewalls; a rectangularly shaped transverse member having opposing lengthwise edges respectively attached to the opposing faces of said sidewalls for maintaining said sidewalls in a spaced parallel relationship with the lengthwise edges of said sidewalls being parallel, said transverse member being perpendicular to both of said sidewall faces, said transverse member lengthwise edges having a length equal to the length of said lengthwise edges of said sidewalls and being parallel to said lengthwise edges, said transverse member edges being attached to their respective sidewalls along a line offset from the mid-section of said sidewalls, the distance between the outer faces of said opposing sidewalls being equal to the length of said sidewalls such that said furniture module defines a cubic envelope.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 157 words
A furniture module comprising: first and second opposed sidewalls, said first sidewall having the same length, width and thickness respectively as said second sidewall, the length and width of said sidewalls being equal to form square sidewalls; a rectangularly shaped transverse member having opposing lengthwise edges respectively attached to the opposing faces of said sidewalls for maintaining said sidewalls in a spaced parallel relationship with the lengthwise edges of said sidewalls being parallel, said transverse member being perpendicular to both of said sidewall faces, said transverse member lengthwise edges having a length equal to the length of said lengthwise edges of said sidewalls and being parallel to said lengthwise edges, said transverse member edges being attached to their respective sidewalls along a line offset from the mid-section of said sidewalls, the distance between the outer faces of said opposing sidewalls being equal to the length of said sidewalls such that said furniture module defines a cubic envelope.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 21 words
A furniture module defined in claim 1 wherein said sidewalls and said transverse members are of an integral one piece construction.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 21 words
The furniture module defined in claim 2 wherein said integrally formed sidewalls and transverse member are fabricated from a polyurethane foam.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 34 words
The furniture module defined in claim 2 wherein said integrally formed sidewalls and transverse member are formed from a material selected from the group consisting of polyester, polyether, polyureas, foamed phenolic resins and polyurethane.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 197 words
A modular furniture structure comprising a plurAlity of furniture modules each furniture module comprising first and second opposed rectangularly shaped sidewalls, said first sidewall having the same length, width and thickness as said second sidewall; a rectangularly shaped transverse member having opposing lengthwise edges respectively attached to the opposing faces of said sidewalls for maintaining said sidewalls in a spaced parallel relationship with the lengthwise edges of said sidewalls being parallel, said transverse member being perpendicular to both of said sidewall faces, said transverse member lengthwise edges having a length equal to the length of said lengthwise edges of said sidewalls and being parallel to said lengthwise edges, said transverse member edges being attached to their respective sidewalls along a line offset from the midsection of said sidewalls; a selected number of said modules being stacked one upon the other with the edges of said sidewalls of one of said modules being supported above the edges of the module immediately therebelow, a selected number of said modules being disposed in different orientations with respect to adjacent modules; and at least one transverse member carried in a horizontal plane and supported by a selected number of said modules.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 197 words
A modular furniture structure comprising a plurAlity of furniture modules each furniture module comprising first and second opposed rectangularly shaped sidewalls, said first sidewall having the same length, width and thickness as said second sidewall; a rectangularly shaped transverse member having opposing lengthwise edges respectively attached to the opposing faces of said sidewalls for maintaining said sidewalls in a spaced parallel relationship with the lengthwise edges of said sidewalls being parallel, said transverse member being perpendicular to both of said sidewall faces, said transverse member lengthwise edges having a length equal to the length of said lengthwise edges of said sidewalls and being parallel to said lengthwise edges, said transverse member edges being attached to their respective sidewalls along a line offset from the midsection of said sidewalls; a selected number of said modules being stacked one upon the other with the edges of said sidewalls of one of said modules being supported above the edges of the module immediately therebelow, a selected number of said modules being disposed in different orientations with respect to adjacent modules; and at least one transverse member carried in a horizontal plane and supported by a selected number of said modules.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 82 words
The module furniture structure defined in claim 5 wherein a pair of adjacent modules are supported on their sidewall edges and a second module has one sidewall edge supported on the transverse member of one of said modules while the other sidewall of said second module has its sidewall edge supported on a transverse member of the other of said pair of modules such that the transverse member of said second module extends above the adjacent sidewalls of said pair of modules.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 26 words
The module furniture structure defined in claim 5 wherein the sidewalls and transverse members of each of said modules are of an integral one piece construction.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 19 words
The module furniture structure defined in claim 7 wherein said integrally formed modules are fabricated from a polyurethane foam.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 35 words
The module furniture structure defined in claim 7 wherein said integrally formed sidewall and transverse members are formed from a material selected from the group consisting of polyester, polyether, polyureas, foamed phenolic resins and polyurethane.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 59 words
The module furniture structure defined in claim 5 wherein the length and width of the sidewalls of each module are equal whereby each module has square sidewalls and the distance between the outer faces of the sidewalls of each module is equal to the length of a sidewall such that each of said furniture modules define a cubic envelope.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 31 words
The furniture module structure defined in claim 5 wherein each of said module units are releasably attached to adjacent upper and lower modules and selectively to said horizontally disposed transverse units.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US3529878A Cited
US3606506A Cited
US3653734A Cited
US3563624A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1977-02-04 1977-08-06 1978-02-05 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1981-02-04 1981-08-06 1982-02-05 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1985-02-04 1985-08-06 1986-02-05 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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